Higher and mightier.

Ford has added a new SUV-inspired variant to its Ka+ lineup. The plus was added to the supermini's when the Ka replacement was introduced back in 2016 as a way of noting the size increase between generations. The five-door-only model shares its underpinnings with the larger Fiesta model.

Ford estimates that a third of new cars sold in Europe will be SUVs by 2020, which makes the introduction of niche vehicles such as the Ka+ Active understandable. The ride height on the car has been raised by 23mm and the Active gets a number of exterior styling tweaks such as plastic wheelarch extensions that are intended to give the Ka+ a beefier look.

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The Ford Ka+ Active comes with a choice of 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine offering two power levels of 69bhp or 84bhp, or Ford's 1.5-litre diesel that produces 94bhp and is aimed at higher mileage drivers.

There are plenty of interesting extras to be found on the car, including auto wipers and headlights, heated front windscreen and seats, rear parking sensors and keyless start. The car also gets Ford’s Sync 3 communications and entertainment system that offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

'Last year Ford sold more than 200,000 SUVs in Europe for the first time, and demand for SUV and crossover models has never been higher, ' said Ford Europe's head of marketing, Roelant de Waard. 'Ford has sold more than 61,000 Ka+ since we first introduced the model in late 2016, and now we're offering customers even more choice with our first Ka+ diesel engine for greater fuel efficiency and cruising ability, and all-new petrol powertrains that are more responsive in town, all meeting the latest stringent emissions standards.'